Electric sign



A. BLUM.

ELECTRIC SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29. I919.

1,330,677. Patentgd Feb. 10,1920.

WITNESSES INVENTOR QZWJ w do lvBlzzm UNITED STATES PATENT ornron.

ADOL'PHBLUM, 0F RIDGEFIELD PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD-TO;HENRY L. VEVERA, OFNEKV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC SIGN.

. Specification of Letters Patent; Patgnted Feb, 10, 1920,

' Application filedApril 29, 1912' Serial Ii'o. 293,394.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AnoLPH BLUM, a citizen of the United States, and aresidentof Ridgefield Park, in the county of Bergen and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and Improved Electric Sign, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to signs in which incandescent electric lamps areilluminated in groups to indicate letters, numerals and other charactersforming the legend of the slgn.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved electricsign in which each character forms a unit adapted to be convenientlyinserted in a sign frame or removed therefrom without disturbing theother character units. Another object is to permit of readily exchanginga defective electric lamp from a character unit without disturbing theother lamps of this unit. Another object is to provide an electric signwhich is simple and durable in construction and comparatively cheap tomanufacture.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described andthen specifically pointed out in the claim.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

Figure 1 is a face view of the electric Sign;

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear face view of one of the character units;

Fig. 4c is an inverted plan view of the same; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the sign frame, the section being onthe line 55 of Fig. 2.

The frame 10 of the sign is provided at the front 11 with as manyopenings 12 as there are individual characters in the sign, it beingunderstood that for illustrative purposes it has been deemed sufiicientto show the frame 10 with a single opening 12. This opening 12 is closedby a plate 15 provided at the front with a recessed character 16 formingpart of the word or legend of-the sign, and this recessed character 16is illuminated by incandescentelectric lamps 17 arranged in spacedrelation to the recess of the character, which latter is shown in theform of the letter H. The upper and lower ends 20 and 21 of the plate 15are in the form of flanges engaging guideways. 22 and 23 formed in theframe 10 in the rear of the front 11 to permit of detachably mountingthe plate 15 in position on the frame 10.

The electric lamps 17 engage sockets 30 of usual construction, andattached to the plate 15 with the entrance ends of the sockets extendinginto the recess of the character 16 to permit of placing the lamps 17 inposition in the sockets from the front of the sign. The sockets 30project into a pocket 31 formed on the back of the plate 15 to protectthe sockets against injury, and the said sockets are electricallyconnected with contacts 32, 33, preferably of spring metal attached to ablock 34 of fiber, porcelain or other suitable insulating material, andfastened to the bottom of the pocket 31 with the contacts 32, 33depending from the bottom of the pocket. The spring contacts 32, 33engage contacts 35, 36 attached to a block 37 secured to a frame member38 of the framev 10, and this block 37 is of fiber, porcelain or othersuitable insulating material, and the contacts 35, 36 are connected withthe conductors 40, ll connected with a suitable source of electricalenergy to supply the electric lamps 17 with the necessary current. Asshown, the conductors 40 and 41 are attached to a plug 42 adapted toengage a suitable socket (not shown) connected with a distant source ofelectrical energy.

It will be noticed that when the plate 15 is placed in position in theframe 10 its contacts 32, 33 move into engagement with the contacts 35and 36 thus establishing an electric connection between the electriclamps 17 and the source of electrical energy.

Thus by the arrangement described the elecor other purposes, and as eachplate provides a single illuminated character it is evident that theother plates in the sign are not affected on removing any one of theplates.

It will further be noticed that any one of the lamps 17 can be readilyremoved and replaced by another Without disturbing the remainingelectric lamps in the unit.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent A sign, comprising a sign frame having an opening atthe front, guideways at the edge of said opening, spaced contact membersin the said frame in the rear of said opening and connected With asource of electrical energy, a plate removably fitted into the saidframe by Way of the said frame opening for closing the latter, andhaving flanges detachably engaging the said guideways, the said platebeing provided at the back With a rearwardly extending flange forming apocket, lamp Sockets attached to the rear of said plate Within saidpocket, and extending through said plate, spring contact membersattached to said pocket forming flange and electrically connected withsaid sockets, said spring cont-act members engaged by the said spacedcontact members held in the said frame.

ADOLPH BLUM.

